The expert spoke about housing exchange transactions

The demand for the exchange of an old apartment for a new building continues to grow. Every third customer who comes to sales departments is considering the possibility of selling their home to form a down payment on a new building. Yulia Arkhangelskaya, head of mortgage lending at the Mangazeya development company, told Izvestia on April 2.

"The growing popularity of such schemes is due to the desire of buyers to improve their living conditions. Some clients want to increase the square footage — most often they are owners of relatively new apartments who have become cramped or want to move to a more comfortable area," she explained.

Arkhangelskaya noted that buyers can choose different exchange schemes. For example, the most profitable option is to sell an apartment on the open market while fixing the cost of a new building. If an object is properly evaluated, it can usually be sold in 45 days without significant discounts.

Payment expectations: home sellers began to issue installments themselves for the secondary

Thus, the owners can additionally earn up to 25% of the cost of the apartment.

According to the expert, for those who care about speed, an urgent repayment scheme is suitable — the money is paid in 5-7 days, but with a discount of 8-10%.

"A less common but convenient option is to buy out an apartment while retaining the right of residence. The client sells the house, receives funds, but can stay in it until the completion of the new facility (up to four years)," the expert added.

In addition, the specialist also warned about the risks that are not related to the legal side, but to financial planning.

"Customers who choose an installment plan with a minimum down payment often expect to switch to a mortgage later, but mortgage rates and conditions may not change in their favor in the future. Sellers also overestimate the price of their apartment by 2-2.5 million rubles, and after unsuccessful sales attempts they return to more realistic expectations," summed up Arkhangelskaya.

Earlier, on January 9, Izvestia got acquainted with a study by the Aeroplane company, which reported on the mandatory amenities of Russians when buying an apartment. According to experts, in the new year Muscovites want to buy apartments with dressing rooms (23%), built-in closets (15%), additional outlets on the balcony (13%), a second bathroom (12%), a master bedroom (9%) and a niche for a washing machine (8%).